Americans adopt major driving cutbacks

MCLEAN, Va., May 9 (UPI) -- As gasoline prices skyrocket to $4 a gallon, many Americans are seriously cutting back on driving and tightening their budgets, government data indicate.

Rising gas costs have motivated Americans to make the most noticeable driving cutbacks the country has experienced in nearly 30 years, USA Today reported.

"This is a more significant shift in behavior than I've seen through other fluctuations in gasoline prices. People are starting to understand that this resource … is not something to be taken for granted or wasted," Steve Reich, of the University of South Florida, told the newspaper.

The $4 high in gas prices, coupled with a stagnant economy, may be prompting people to adopt long-term lifestyle alterations to lessen the need for overseas oil and improve the environment, Reich said.

For the fourth month in a row, the average number of miles driven in the United States dropped in February, a Federal Highway Administration analysis indicates.

Submit to